Cypress trees and hippogriffs
by chandeleerluvsduckies
Summary: Hermione has tried to get rid of Ron and finally set him up with bubbly Cypress. Too late she realizes what a huge mistake she has made and tries to fix it. a faceless stranger apears and helps her change into something she never wanted to be. HG/RW
1. I'm not that girl

Ron walked quickly down the corridor to potions and was walking toward me as he accidentally bumped my arm. He turned and looked into my eyes. He grabbed my hands and held them tight and I could feel them burning. My heart was on fire as he looked deep into my eyes. I shut them and turned my body away but didn't let go of his hands. His deep voice was calm and smooth as he said, " I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I want you to know I'll never forget you. 'Mione?" I open my eyes and his locked onto mine and wouldn't let me go.

_Hands touch, eyes meet  
Sudden silence, sudden heat  
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl  
He could be that boy  
But I'm not that girl_

I saw our past in his eyes. Our first kiss, it was followed by what was unexplainable. I felt a rush of wind hit me hard and I couldn't breathe and I couldn't let go. My eyes had never really opened again until right now. I saw those light hugs we had shared in the hallway. I started to feel hot wet tears run down my face. One fell onto the ground and I stopped myself. 'I must forget, I must forget,' I told myself. I was Hermione; I wasn't going to be known for being in love with Ron. I wanted to be a quiet bookworm again.

_Don't dream too far  
Don't lose sight of who you are  
Don't remember that rush of joy  
He could be that boy  
I'm not that girl_

I thought of the kiss again and as Imagined he leaned in for one last kiss. I couldn't resist. I leaned in too and I felt his soft lips touch mine. We were so close I could feel every movement, every breath. He quickly broke away, "I can't. I have cypress now and you have Viktor."

"No Ron, no I don't. I haven't talked to him since fourth year. I wanted you to be jealous so I sent long letters home and pretended they were for him. I thought if you were jealous you would, you… would love me again." I said through a steady stream of tears and gulps of air. I turned my body away from him and tried to pull away.

Ron grabbed my wrist and pulled me back until I was facing him full on. He put his hands on the sides of my face, holding it tight, but with a tenderness, "Hermione, don't fool yourself. You don't want me. I think you've seen me for so long that you've grown attached. I am the one who was always scrawny, I can't perform simple spells, and I don't have any money. Write to Viktor. He has money, fame, all the good looks, and he is amazing on a broom, unlike me. He will make you happy, I never can. I remember everything and when I think of it I just know that you would always be miserable with me. I'm sorry. It's better this way."

_Ev'ry so often we long to steal  
To the land of what-might-have-been  
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel  
When reality sets back in_

SHE came bouncing down the hall in seconds after he had finished this talk. She flounced over to Ron and gave him a huge kiss. They both lost themselves in it and I turned disgusted and ran down the hall. Before I had made it to the end of the hall I heard and awful noise that sounded like the one a suction cup made when you pulled it off a wall. I heard HER voice come ringing down the hall, "Why was she crying? And why were you holding her face. If you had kissed her I would have killed you. You don't want to lead her on like that. You know you don't like her anymore."

I flew up the stairs before I could hear anymore, not knowing where they would take me and found myself face to face with a room I had never seen before.

I stuck my head in the door and saw statues everywhere. This room was amazing and I forgot my sadness as I looked at each statue. There was a hippogriff and next to it sat a cobra that was elegantly entwined with an exotic tree.

Suddenly I realized it was a cypress tree and saw that cobra's bright red tounge that was flicking out of its mouth. I remembered my first time on the train when I looked into a compartment to see a boy with hair the same fiery color. I fell to my knees sobbing. I couldn't handle him with her. I knew it was my fault we weren't together. I had set him up with cypress to try and forget him but it had been like stabbing myself with a knife and every time I saw them it was like someone grabbed the knife and twisted as hard as they could.

SHE was so pretty. Her golden hair that curled so slightly and her light skin and perfect blue eyes were so beautiful. There was no wonder he chose her.

_Blithe smile, lithe limb  
She who's winsome, she wins him  
Gold hair with a gentle curl  
That's the girl he chose  
And Heaven knows  
I'm not that girl_

I moved slowly toward the owl in the corner. I curled myself at its feet and cried and cried. I fell asleep because I didn't want to wish anymore. I saw scenes of the ball and Ron angry: he _had_ loved me. I hadn't known it and I had yelled back.

I woke up and kicked myself for not seeing it before I had set up him with cypress. When he had kissed her in front of me the first time. I had spilled everything about how much I loved him and now look what it had come to. I cried again as I imagined myself there with him instead of cypress. I stopped myself and stood and went back to the head's common room.

_Don't wish, don't start  
Wishing only wounds the heart  
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl  
There's a girl I know  
He loves her so  
I'm not that girl_

I fell asleep without a tear in my magnificent room instead I blocked all the love out of my head, all the love from seven years.


	2. Dancing through life

A/N: the song in the last chapter was from wicked and is called "I'm not that girl". The song in this chapter is called "Dancing through life" and is also from wicked the Broadway musical. I'm sorry that it is moving slowly, but it will pick up soon!!

_Over the next few days Hermione tried to find the room full of the stone statues. She finally retraced her steps from where she had left the sickening couple. She tried running, walking, and ever other type of movement past the place where she remember the door being. Nothing worked. She couldn't find it anywhere and went nuts. She was sure that she could have another dreamless sleep if she could just find the room. She missed breakfast and was five minutes late for ancient runes trying to find the mysterious room._

Her lessons were blurs of thoughts of Ron and of the room where the stone statues had stood. In my imagination they came to life and I saw them start to dance a slow monotonous dance.

I wish the drones of our single ghost teacher could have informed me of the door. But no, it was about the peace treaty with the centaurs in the 1800's. I stopped listening halfway through the first five minutes. Now it was all I could do to pretend to look interested.

_The trouble with schools is  
They always try to teach the wrong lessons  
Believe me, I've been kicked out  
Of enough of them to know  
They want you to become less callow  
Less shallow  
But I say: why invite stress in?  
Stop studying strife  
and learn to live the unexamined life_

When class was over I packed my things up quickly and made my way out of the room without "forgetting" my notes the way I usually did after class so Ron wouldn't fail. No, today was different and new. Today I was going to forget about that boy once and for all.

I changed my route from the once normal stretch to the dormitories, and from the now normal exotic lunges past the hidden statue room, and instead made my way to the kitchens.

As I opened the door I was grabbed around the ankles and almost fell onto my back. I looked down to see an elf wearing a pair of children's soccer shorts with a woman's bathing suit top and a un-matching pair of what, for him, were knee socks. I suppressed a laugh and smiled brightly, "Hey Dobby."

Dobby jumped up brightly, "Dobby knew you would come, he just knew it. Dobby had been looking for the friend of Harry Potter's, oh yes he had! He had looked in the common room a million times, but Dobby did not give up! Now I found you! I have a message from Mr. Harry Potter that he said I must give you. He says," Dobby's voice dropped to a whisper, "Not to believe the wheezy, and to keep trying!"

Dobby gave a triumphant look as he finished this. I felt exasperated. I couldn't escape him anywhere! I come for a moments rest and I get messages from Harry! I decided Harry must not know that Ron really liked Cypress better. He must have given dobby the message a couple days ago.

I had more important things on my mind though, "Dobby, do you know about a room that disappears, but it isn't the room of requirement? It's full of statues, and it's completely stone."

Dobby looked thoughtful for a minute before jumping up and shouting like he had sat down on a hot burner, "Harry Potter's friend speaks of the room of requirement! You just do not realize that when you require it to be somewhere else it will be! Enter it the same way you usually would!"

_Dancing through life  
Skimming the surface  
Gliding where turf is smooth  
Life's more painless  
For the brainless  
Why think too hard  
When it's so soothing  
Dancing through life  
No need to tough it  
When you can slough it off as I do  
Nothing matters  
But knowing nothing matters  
It's just life  
So keep dancing through_

As I ran from the kitchens I felt light as air! I could get in again! I leaped my way to the corridor and walked past the place I had entered before three times repeating that I needed it to become the place It did for me last time and when I opened my eyes there was the door!

I grabbed the handle and swung the door open. I was elated! The room sat before me! It was Gorgeous and filled, as ever, with statues. I drank in the musty silence and elegant statues. I began to walk around the room and explore the crevices that held statues. I found a window that shown out onto the quidditch pitch and another onto the lake.

I had made it to the room I had tried to find forever! I had made it and I felt my heart beat a couple times faster than it had before. I wondered out loud if I could get a place to lie down and maybe some nice music. Instantly a couch covered in fluffy pillows appeared and music began to play. The music was the music to The Nutcracker, a gorgeous muggle ballet. I began to dance to it, making up my own steps and twirling and striding around the room.

_Dancing through life  
Swaying and sweeping  
And always keeping cool  
Life is fraught-less  
When you're thoughtless  
Those who don't try  
Never look foolish  
Dancing through life  
Mindless and careless  
Make sure you wear less  
Trouble and rife  
Woes are fleeting  
Blows are glancing  
When you're dancing_  
Through life

Then I regretted dancing so soon, and not putting a spell on the door, because just then the door opened and a head popped in. I looked at the fiery red hair and tear- strewn face and fainted.

A/N: sorry if the chapter was slow. I promise the next one is right back on track. Hope you all like RW/HG!


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